Catchfence

In the early 1980s, the Automobile Racing Club of America was in danger of folding. A struggling economy coupled with the death of ARCA founder John Marcum in 1981 left the series with only six races on its schedule and serious doubts about its future.

Then in 1983, ARCA received an invitation from Pocono Raceway CEO Dr. Joseph Mattioli to compete at the track. It turned out to be the shot in the arm the series needed.

“Drs. Joe and Rose Mattioli were essential in helping keep ARCA alive,” said Don Radebaugh, public relations/media director for ARCA. “Putting a big-name, high-profile superspeedway on the schedule really helped revive the tour. After that, it started to gain strength again.”

Since then, the relationship between ARCA and Pocono has been a strong one. The series annually serves as the support race for the track’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends.

On Saturday, ARCA will celebrate a milestone. The Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 will be the 50th on Pocono’s 2.5-mile layout.

“We’ve worked with four generations of the France family and we’re working with the third generation of the Marcum family,” Mattioli said. “It’s always been a good relationship and we treasure that.”

Bob Schacht won the 1983 race and four of the first five ARCA races there. Bob Keselowski, whose son Brad drives on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, won five times from 1988-92. Jimmy Horton swept both races in 1990.

- Scranton Times-Tribune